I have some scratches and swirls on my hood and I'm trying to get rid of them. I found that Meguiar's Ultimate Compound will do the job. After I use that do I move onto using a polish? Isn't the compound a stronger polish itself? What polish do you guys recommend? I found that Poorboy's World SSR2.5 then using SSR1 are the best. I'm using my hands, not a buffing machine. But wouldn't a compound, then a medium strength polish, then a very light polish be too rough on the clear coat and be kind of overkill? After doing this I'm planning on using Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0.

Also before doing all this do you have to strip off all existing wax? Dawn dish soap? Or can I work over it with the compound and polish? I plan on washing the car with Mother's California Gold, then clay bar, then I'm a little lost here lol

The reason I'm doing all this now is because I went to the track and this guy in the car ahead went of track causing him to throw mud all over my car. There are a few light scratches and scuffs here and there and one fairly deep one on the center of my hood (looks like it went through the clear coat but not the paint. Also will the NXT wax replace what the compound takes off? Or should I use a stronger wax?

What my main questions are:
1. Should I use compound then polish then a lighter polish like what I'm reading on other forums?
2. Will the products mentioned above get the job done?
3. Is NXT Tech 2.0 a good enough wax to replace the wax the compound takes off?
4. Should I strip the wax off before applying compound and polish?
5. Anything else I should know? Tips? Anything helps!

Thanks!

Here's a pic of what happened..the mud had little stones in it and I washed it the next day.

There are swirls that have been on the hood and now there are a couple new scuffs and scratches. Next time I go out I'm putting painters tape all over it

I have some scratches and swirls on my hood and I'm trying to get rid of them. I found that Meguiar's Ultimate Compound will do the job. After I use that do I move onto using a polish? Isn't the compound a stronger polish itself? What polish do you guys recommend? I found that Poorboy's World SSR2.5 then using SSR1 are the best. I'm using my hands, not a buffing machine. But wouldn't a compound, then a medium strength polish, then a very light polish be too rough on the clear coat and be kind of overkill? After doing this I'm planning on using Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0.

Also before doing all this do you have to strip off all existing wax? Dawn dish soap? Or can I work over it with the compound and polish? I plan on washing the car with Mother's California Gold, then clay bar, then I'm a little lost here lol

The reason I'm doing all this now is because I went to the track and this guy in the car ahead went of track causing him to throw mud all over my car. There are a few light scratches and scuffs here and there and one fairly deep one on the center of my hood (looks like it went through the clear coat but not the paint. Also will the NXT wax replace what the compound takes off? Or should I use a stronger wax?

What my main questions are:
1. Should I use compound then polish then a lighter polish like what I'm reading on other forums?
2. Will the products mentioned above get the job done?
3. Is NXT Tech 2.0 a good enough wax to replace the wax the compound takes off?
4. Should I strip the wax off before applying compound and polish?
5. Anything else I should know? Tips? Anything helps!

Thanks!

Here's a pic of what happened..the mud had little stones in it and I washed it the next day.

There are swirls that have been on the hood and now there are a couple new scuffs and scratches. Next time I go out I'm putting painters tape all over it

A polish is use to refine the finish. Think of a compound as a lower grit sandpaper and a polish as a higher grit. You use a higher grit sandpaper to take out the marks left by the lower one.

LSP (wax or sealant) is a protection layer from the elements. It is a sacrificial layer and it is temporary. It does not replace the clearcoat. Once the CC is gone...it is gone. Whenever you are removing defects from your paint, you are essentially leveling the paint. The compounding process will generally remove the existing LSP since you are taking paint off the car.

You should consider using a dual action polisher to do this rather by hand or better yet.... contact a good detailer. I am not saying you can't do it by hand but it will take a very long time (days) and your arms will look like Popeye afterward. The corresponding result will never be that of a machine or by a pro.

Good Luck.

__________________

What is absolute control???? Having the means and the abilities to exercise it at will but....chooses not to.

A polish is use to refine the finish. Think of a compound as a lower grit sandpaper and a polish as a higher grit. You use a higher grit sandpaper to take out the marks left by the lower one.

LSP (wax or sealant) is a protection layer from the elements. It is a sacrificial layer and it is temporary. It does not replace the clearcoat. Once the CC is gone...it is gone. Whenever you are removing defects from your paint, you are essentially leveling the paint. The compounding process will generally remove the existing LSP since you are taking paint off the car.

You should consider using a dual action polisher to do this rather by hand or better yet.... contact a good detailer. I am not saying you can't do it by hand but it will take a very long time (days) and your arms will look like Popeye afterward. The corresponding result will never be that of a machine or by a pro.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the info on the order I should do it! But wouldn't a polisher potentially cause damage to the paint? The swirls aren't deep at all, there's just very light, barely noticeable ones on the hood; that's why I figured it's safest to do it by hand. Also what do you think of the products I mentioned above? Will they get the job done? Mother's California Gold>clay bar>Meguiars compound>Poorboy's SSR2.5>Poorboy's SSR1>NXT Tech 2.0

Thanks for the info on the order I should do it! But wouldn't a polisher potentially cause damage to the paint? The swirls aren't deep at all, there's just very light, barely noticeable ones on the hood; that's why I figured it's safest to do it by hand. Also what do you think of the products I mentioned above? Will they get the job done? Mother's California Gold>clay bar>Meguiars compound>Poorboy's SSR2.5>Poorboy's SSR1>NXT Tech 2.0

To be fair.... a Dual action polisher such as Porter Cable 7424xp or the Griot's garage DA wouldn't take anymore paint off the car than you would by hand. The goal is to level the paint to the deepest point of the defects.

If you want to do this right, you should contact a reputable detailer (not one that works out of a high volume shop). A good detailer will generally measure the paint with a paint gauge before he works on it.

If you are planning to track more often in the future then I would suggest you look into a glaze instead since you will most likely get more defects in the future. You don't want to compound your car more than 2 times a year. A good glaze will help hide the defects. or..... Get the paint fix by a pro then wrap the car with a clear film (similar to a clear bra).

The product used in a job like this is somewhat important but it is not magic in a bottle. An experienced detailer could make any product work. If you are going to DYI then I would recommend you start with the polish first before you use the compound. You always want to use the least aggressive approach to get the job done. If that doesn't work then hit it with a compound. Which pads are you using for the polish or the compound????

__________________

What is absolute control???? Having the means and the abilities to exercise it at will but....chooses not to.

To be fair.... a Dual action polisher such as Porter Cable 7424xp or the Griot's garage DA wouldn't take anymore paint off the car than you would by hand. The goal is to level the paint to the deepest point of the defects.

If you want to do this right, you should contact a reputable detailer (not one that works out of a high volume shop). A good detailer will generally measure the paint with a paint gauge before he works on it.

If you are planning to track more often in the future then I would suggest you look into a glaze instead since you will most likely get more defects in the future. You don't want to compound your car more than 2 times a year. A good glaze will help hide the defects. or..... Get the paint fix by a pro then wrap the car with a clear film (similar to a clear bra).

The product used in a job like this is somewhat important but it is not magic in a bottle. An experienced detailer could make any product work. If you are going to DYI then I would recommend you start with the polish first before you use the compound. You always want to use the least aggressive approach to get the job done. If that doesn't work then hit it with a compound. Which pads are you using for the polish or the compound????

I haven't bought any of the products yet, which pads do you recommend? And by the way this info really helps a lot, I'll be looking into a polisher now. What exactly is a glaze? Like a type of filler? And when I go to the track I plan on just wrapping painters tape on it seeing as tho a clear bra is so expensive.

I haven't bought any of the products yet, which pads do you recommend? And by the way this info really helps a lot, I'll be looking into a polisher now. What exactly is a glaze? Like a type of filler? And when I go to the track I plan on just wrapping painters tape on it seeing as tho a clear bra is so expensive.

A glaze has filling property. This was a product originally developed for the body shop (to be use after a repaint) but it can also be use to hide MINOR defects. Follow this up with a good LSP and you should be good for several weeks. This process can easily done by hand in a few hours. Just remember that the defects are still there and once the filler wears off......they will come back.

If you want to try your hand at hand-polishing then you might want to look into the following products. Note: all products listed are from our forum vendor sponsor (Detail Image). I don't work for them but I strongly recommend every forum members to support any of our vendor sponsors whenever possible.